Healthy Eating

Healthy eating starts by making informed food choices. Choosing a variety of nutrient-rich foods as the foundation of what you eat can help you live a longer, healthier life. Tufts experts keep you up to date on everything from shopping for the best meats, fish, fruits and vegetables to nutrition-smart food preparation and more.

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Vitamins & Supplements

The best way to get the nutrients your body needs is by eating a balanced diet. But it's not always easy to meet your daily requirements of certain nutrients from food alone. Tufts experts separate the facts from the hype on supplements. You'll find unbiased information on vitamins like B-complex, C, D and E, supplements like omega-3 and lutein and essential minerals like magnesium and potassium and how they can protect or, in high doses, even harm your health.

Exercise & Mobility

The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Exercise can prevent weight gain, help you lose weight, reduce your risk for chronic diseases, even improve your mood. There are many ways for older adults to include physical activity and promote mobility. You'll discover in-depth ideas for protecting your mobility and independence, and receive the latest news on joint health, inflammation, and healthy bones.

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Healthy Heart

A healthy heart is essential to remaining active and full of energy. Protecting your heart is easier than you might think. Taking steps such as limiting certain fats and including "good fats" that improve your cholesterol can reduce your risk of coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. You'll learn about the most important steps you can take to ensure a healthy heart from the experts at Tufts.

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Healthy Mind

Understanding how our brain functions is related to what we eat is an emerging area of fascinating scientific discovery. Learn how certain foods and nutrients affect cognition, and get the facts about brain-boosting foods such as green tea and dark chocolate so you can live the most mentally healthy lifestyle possible for years to come.

Healthy Aging

Feeling fit and well will help you get the most out of your everyday life as you age. Tufts experts will give you the knowledge to manage your health and offer tips on to increase your energy and maintain your independence. Stay on top of the latest health research to get the most out of life.

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August 2018

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Research shows that overall dietary patterns have a big impact on health. But people don’t buy dietary patterns, they buy foods. That’s why the idea of quantifying the healthfulness of individual foods is so appealing. For packaged foods, Nutrition Facts labels are designed to help, but, more recently, the concept of nutrient density (the number of nutrients per calorie) has been gaining ground as a potential way to help consumers identify the most health-promoting foods. But trying to quantify the healthfulness of foods is a tricky matter.

There is currently a lot of interest in whether adjusting food prices could encourage more healthful food choices, and ultimately improve health. Would taxes change buying behavior in meaningful and impactful ways? Would they lead to improved public health? And is it viable (and fair) to implement such policies on a national level? Tufts experts have examined these important issues in several recently published studies.

The hot summer months are upon us, but sweating in the sun is not the only factor that raises risk for dehydration. This potentially dangerous drop in body fluid affects everything from blood pressure to the brain, so knowing the causes, signs, and symptoms of dehydration—as well as how to avoid it—is critical.

NewsBites

A new report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) links obesity to 12 types of cancer. The report, Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: a Global Perspective, analyzed a decade of research to develop cancer prevention recommendations. The analysis found strong evidence that being overweight or obese throughout adulthood increases risk of cancer of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, liver, colon, breast (post menopause), ovaries, endometrium, prostate (advanced), and kidney.

New research shows that people who have a high body fat percentage may be more prone to diabetes, even if their body mass index (BMI) classifies them as “normal weight.” People classified as “normal weight” according to BMI may have a high percent body fat if they do not have much muscle.

A new study published in Circulation: Heart Failure concluded middle-aged men who ate higher amounts of protein had a slightly higher risk of heart failure than those who ate less protein. This association was found by following over 2,400 men ages 42 to 60 for an average of 22 years. Protein from fish and eggs was not associated with heart failure in this study.

Special Reports

Each year, one in six Americans gets sick from eating contaminated food. In the spring of 2018, people across the United States and Canada began falling ill with common food poisoning symptoms: diarrhea, stomach pains, nausea, and vomiting. In the following months, nearly 200 people became ill, and five people died. CDC investigators traced the infection to Romaine lettuce grown in one particular region of the US. Any type of food, even healthy greens, can harbor pathogens. Fortunately, following some simple food safety tips, and paying attention to warnings and recalls, can prevent the majority of foodborne illnesses.